An engine sound transportation passageway (“passageway”) can be used to communicate engine noise to a driver or other passengers within a passenger cabin of an automobile. The passageway is typically a tube of sorts and is often coupled to an engine airway (e.g., engine intake airway or exhaust airway) at one end and to the passenger cabin at the other end. Typically, an air-tight sound-permeable barrier (e.g., a diaphragm) exists within the passageway to prevent fluid communication between the engine intake airway and the interior passenger cabin. The airways on each side of the barrier are mechanically coupled through the barrier to allow sound vibrations from the engine intake to pass through the passageway into the passenger cabin.
To allow sound vibrations to be communicated, the air-tight sound-permeable barrier is typically constructed of a thin material (e.g., plastic), which allows the barrier to vibrate in response to the sound vibrations within the engine airway. However, due to its thin nature, it may be susceptible to rupturing or developing a leak. If such a rupture or leak develops, fluid communication between the engine airway and the passenger cabin can occur, which can be undesirable. Current preventative solutions exist to combat the development of a rupture, including, for example, the inclusion of mechanical stops that hinder overexpansion of the barrier to reduce stress thereon. In other approaches, vehicle manufacturers simply dictate a scheduled replacement of the barrier (e.g., every 10,000 miles or 2 years) to prevent ruptures or to repair existing ruptures that may be otherwise unnoticed.
Though suitable for at least some purposes, such approaches do not necessarily meet all needs of all application settings and/or all users. For example, current solutions are merely preventative in nature and do not account for or accommodate an actual occurrence of a rupture within the barrier.